Muscle joints and aches are a common component for those that suffer from fibromyalgia.  Sadly, add the addition of hypersensitivity to creams and ointments that some patients experience, and you have a winning combination of deep frustration.  How can you find relief from simple aches and pains when those creams you apply cause your skin to itch and burn?  One simple remedy to try is Vicks VapoRub. 

Vicks VapoRub is a topical medication usually applied to the skin to treat coughs and chest congestion.  But, this unique rub has other medicinal purposes.  If applied to muscles and joints it can relieve aches and pain without the usual side effects of burning and skin irritations for most individuals.  Anyone over the age of two can safely use Vicks VapoRub. However, you should consult a doctor before using Vicks VapoRub if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you have a chronic cough caused by smoking, or if you have been
diagnosed with emphysema. You should not use Vicks VapoRub if you have ever had an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in Vicks VapoRub including camphor, eucalyptus oil, or menthol.

To treat muscle aches or joint pain, rub Vicks VapoRub directly over the muscle and joints.  Try a little bit at first to gauge your reaction.  Once you get use to the odiferous smell, you'll be in seventh heaven has your muscles and joints receive that cooling topical relief. Vicks VapoRub should never be used internally or in a manner not directed. Do not use on broken skin or burns.

With New Year's fast approaching why not make eating whole grains your new resolution?  I know it can be frustrating to give up the old habits of your culinary diet; after all, many of our "feel good" emotions are linked to common comfort foods.  But, what if you can regain numerous health benefits that will improve sleep, overall disposition, and lessen flare-ups?

Would this prompt you to switch?  I wonder why it is so hard for people who suffer from fibro immensely to change their diet.  After all, if you were a cancer victim, would you just implement chemo therapy when it felt right?  Of course not, your doctor would impress upon you the importance of following the rigid new routine to lower your mortality rate.  So why can't we be our own doctors and prescribe the most needed component to our fibromyalgia lifestyle - the whole foods approach.   After all, it is now common knowledge that diet plays a huge factor in managing the disease from a scientific standpoint. 

Incorporating whole grains is easy.  You just cook your grain, package it, and place in your refrigerator. Then use as needed.  When that grain is done, you cook a new grain and utilize it.  Keep rotating your grains for optimal benefits nutritionally.  Each grain is a power house of nutrients that will keep your energy levels well stocked.  Once you feel the effects of whole grains on your health, craving comfort foods will become a thing of the past.

Millet
For foods to qualify as a good source of any nutrient, one serving must provide at least 10 percent of the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for that nutrient, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. An excellent, or rich, source supplies at least 20 percent of the RDA. By those guidelines, 1 cup of cooked millet is a good source of magnesium, zinc, and copper and a rich source of manganese. Magnesium, copper and manganese are all essential for normal metabolism. Magnesium and manganese help build bones, while  zinc produces protein and supports the growth of new cells.  You will get a range of B vitamins from 1 cup of cooked millet. It’s a good source of thiamin and niacin.

Quinoa
Quinoa is a nutrient-dense grain. One cup of cooked quinoa has only 155 calories, 5 1/2  grams of protein, 
and 3 g of fat. According to the World's Healthiest Foods, a serving of quinoa supplies the body with magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Quinoa also has vitamin B2. Quinoa is a good grain substitute for those with gluten or nut allergies. The vitamins and minerals found within quinoa may help treat migraines, control diabetes, and decrease the risk of heart disease.

Brown Rice
One cup of brown rice provides 86 mg of magnesium, while the daily requirement is 420 mg for men and 320 mg for women over age 30.  Magnesium is essential for producing energy from the food you eat. It also makes up the mineral content of bone, along with calcium.  One cup of brown rice provides 1.2 mg of zinc. The daily requirement for zinc for adults is 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women.  One cup of brown rice provides 0.3 mg of vitamin B-6,  while the daily requirement is 1.3 mg for adult men and women up to age 50. This serving of brown rice provides 23 percent of your daily vitamin B-6 requirement.  Vitamin B-6 is involved in diverse processes in the body, including the  formation of the neurotransmitter serotonin, red blood cell
synthesis and the  production of DNA, which contains genetic information for all the cells of your  body.

Where in your comfort foods diet do you see all that nutritional value?  You don't if you are not utilizing the above grains.

Most importantly, it has been found that lower portions of carbohydrates and larger servings of raw foods benefit those who suffer from fibromyalgia.  I usually recommend a serving of 1/4 - 1/2 cup of whole grains at each setting.  This way, the body is not laden down with excess complex carboydrates to digest leaving you with optimal energy for the day.

Being conscientious has its drawbacks when one suffers from fibromyalgia.  There is just so much to worry about.  When you have a disease that can dismantle you without a moment's notice, you do tend to worry.  Thoughts such as:

How long can I work?
Will I be able to support my family?
Will I ever be able to enjoy a full life again?
I hope I can't get through this afternoon's meeting with out a flare-up.
Will I make my daughter's show this weekend ?
Can I attempt dinner this evening?

All come masquerading as good causes to a mind that wants action.  A mind that is still alive and provokes reason because at that moment it can't connect with a body that is drained and pained. So, for fibro suffers, life is rarely grounded in the moment, but always looking at the future of what needs to be done.  After all, who wants to live in the moment if that moment is causing pain and you are unable to attend to the very things that need doing?

But drifting off into that future constantly is draining.  If you can't do it now, thinking about it produces more energy that is then depleted quickly by your body promoting fatigue.  A fatigue that is often rested through sleep or a good book.  Then sadly, the same fatigue that promotes idleness and more frustration due to inability.  

Recently, trying to gain a better perspective and get a handle on my financial obligations, I was bestowed with a second job.   A job that would be fruitful should I choose to accept it.  But, nonetheless, a job that would promote more stress into a life I am trying to de stress.  So, a friend gave me some great advice,

I was dumbfounded thinking about a statement I actually preach to others, but rarely apply to myself.  I decided to delve into more research online.  I wanted to know the consequences of doing two jobs in a community I am now a part.  What I found out shocked me.  Many individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia don't even have one job.  Furthermore, those that take on two jobs decline rapidly and are often left on SSI.  Many notes addressed the fact that if you are a sufferer, your basic job should be calming and enjoyable lest you fall ill again.  Gosh, how many letters I read of those who felt good enough to return to work, and only three years later suffered another relapse for some unknown causes.  A relapse so profound they urged others to tread carefully when attempting an ambitious career.

These letters were from the heart, from individuals who self-worth relied on income and being in the work force. They were out pleading their case in hopes someone else will not make the same driven mistake they had.  As I sat contemplating, I realized, I am always living in the future.  It is the future of hope and defiance that I'll receive my life's dream if I push hard enough.  A hope that has dwindled now that I realize life throws us curve balls sometimes.  And even if they look like good throws, I don't have to stand there and catch them.  After all, when those balls happen to accelerate at you at a fast pace, you need to duck unless you have the right glove.  You duck and you move on.  You don't dwell wondering how you could have saved the ball with your bare hands possibly fracturing a few fingers.  You live at that  moment and move on to the next base that is open.

At this point I am living for the moment.  I don't know what the future will bring, but I do know that I am not going to waste energy thinking about it when I can use that energy to do something right now I am able to do. 

"The Pain Body is essentially pain that has accumulated in our energy bodies throughout our lives, and sometimes even before. It lies dormant for long periods, but sometimes it awakens. It feeds on emotional pain, so if you ever find yourself attracted to pain of some kind or drama, your Pain Body may have its grips on you in those moments. The Pain Body grows and gains power as we allow cyclical thoughts to torture us after events we might have just let pass." - Steven Budden

This statement was made after further reading Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Simply stated, it can have a profound effect for those who suffer chronic pain. The ego, conscious mediator between our persona and reality, is in effect the drive that can reduce or enhance daily flare-ups. After all, how often do you find yourself having self dialogue with your inner person when anxiety threatens? Often, painful flare-ups are the root cause of some of these adverse situations that have lain inadvertently in our paths.

When unpleasant conditions arise, pain begins to increase as our inner dialogue gains strength  and takes over the moment.  We begin self conversations that increase with frequency as the minutes pass.

"I must take care of this immediately so it does not affect me further."
"Excuse me, who do I need to get in touch with NOW, so this does not proceed further?"
"I hate this job, it riddles me with pain each night."
"Who are you and what gives you the right to speak to me that way?"

These thoughts begin to spiral in the dark parts of our mind until we get a full fledge script, well written, to take into the battle of true reality. We rehearse and rehearse what needs to be said to the culprit who sabotaged our day. Or we relive the struggles that occurred that day until we can put a finger on why we were so wrongly afflicted. On and on we pursue until that dialogue is perfected and ready to shield us from future attempts. We are angry, depressed, far resolved and oblivious to the pain it is also providing us. This double sworded connection to the ego can cut us in two if not deflected immediately.  These painful reruns can be slashed from the presentation by one simple step:

Stand aside and be aware of what is happening.  Realize it is the ego trying to gain ground on your behalf.  This is not your true self as the ego feeds only on contempt.  Contempt that will riddle and fill you with pain due to the intense amount of energy it takes to feed this thing.

By simply being aware of what is taking place, you can stop feeding that ego immediately. Oh, and yes, this takes practice.  This act does not come with one sitting.  Rather, it is a skill that needs to be honed.  But, it must be presented consistently on every path you take, around every corner you stumble.  Then once the ego is recognized for who he truly is, you will be able to stand aside and allow your inner dialouge to deflect and pursue other more promising themes.